Kanishk
An Indian masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "goldmine" or "treasure".
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the first name Kanishk. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kanishk today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kanishk births was 2010 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kanishk. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kanishk with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
175
~ 1 in 1,958,596 Americans
Peak year
2010
16 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,205
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Kanishk: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kanishk from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 93 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kanishk remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kanishk by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kanishk during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kanishks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kanishk
The name Kanishk has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the root of many modern languages spoken in South Asia. It is believed to have emerged during the classical period of Indian history, spanning from the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE.
The name Kanishk is derived from the Sanskrit word "Kanishka," which was the name of a prominent ruler of the Kushan Empire, a powerful dynasty that ruled over parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE. The Kushan Empire played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism and the development of trade routes across Central Asia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kanishk can be found in the Rabatak inscription, a rock inscription dating back to the 3rd century CE, which mentions "Kanishka, the King of Kings, the Son of the Sun." This inscription provides historical evidence of the existence of the Kushan ruler Kanishka and the significance of his reign.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kanishk:
1. Kanishka I (c. 127-150 CE): The most famous bearer of this name, Kanishka I was a powerful Kushan ruler known for his military conquests, patronage of Buddhism, and the spread of Greco-Buddhist art and architecture.
2. Kanishka II (c. 226-242 CE): A later Kushan ruler who continued the legacy of his predecessor, Kanishka I, and oversaw a period of stability and prosperity in the empire.
3. Kanishka III (c. 349-375 CE): Another Kushan ruler who reigned during the decline of the empire but is credited with issuing coins bearing his name and image.
4. Kanishka Gautam (1913-1994): A prominent Indian freedom fighter and politician who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India.
5. Kanishka Raja (born 1969): A renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for his contributions to the Bharatanatyam dance form and his collaborations with international artists.
While the name Kanishk has its roots in ancient South Asian history, it has transcended cultural boundaries and has been adopted by people across various regions and backgrounds, carrying with it the legacy of the Kushan rulers and the rich cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Kanishk + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kanishk as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kanishk: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kanishk?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kanishk going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,958,596 US residents.
Is Kanishk a common name?
We classify Kanishk as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 176 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kanishk most popular?
The single biggest year for Kanishk was 2010, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kanishk is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kanishk in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kanishk a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kanishk in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kanishk still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kanishk in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kanishk can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Kanishk?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Kanishk, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.